Django vs Laravel vs Node.js: Which One You Should Opt For In 2020?

Web Framework is a software framework especially built to accelerate the process of web development. Simply put, a web framework helps in the creation, development & publishing of simple and complex web apps & websites.

In the last 15 years, a vast number of back-end frameworks have been introduced in the market, out of which the three most trending and talked out frameworks among the developer community are Laravel, Django, and NodeJS.

Moreover, all these web frameworks have gained a lot of support from the various developer communities worldwide. Therefore, you may be overwhelmed to choose the desirable framework from Laravel vs Django vs Node.js or Django vs Node.js for your next project?

To resolve your problem, here in this blog, we will provide you with an in-depth and unbiased comparison between Laravel vs Django vs Node.js.

Laravel vs Django vs Node.js: A Featured-Based Comparison

1. What is Django?

Django is a lightweight web framework based on Python and it was introduced in the market in 2005. It follows the Model View Template (MVT) architecture pattern.

Django framework is the most relevant option if you want to work on a complex project. Various successful startups across the globe have used Django. This includes Mozilla, Instagram, etc.

It is not only lightweight but power-packed with amazing features that help you to gear up your web app development journey.

Pros

Django follows a highly-structured approach.

Security breaches aren’t possible with the developed application.

Django is supported by an awesome community of developers worldwide.

Better scalability

Django works as per DRY(Don’t repeat yourself) and KISS (Keep It Short & Simple) principles.

Cons

Django doesn’t have support for real-time web applications.

It’s completely based on the ORM.

You should have hands-on experience before applying the complete framework.

Why Do Developers Choose Django for Their Project?

Some of the most common reason why Django is suitable for development are as follows:

Enhanced Ecosystem

Detailed Documentation

Good for API Development

Open-Source

Easy to learn & implement, etc.

2. What is Laravel?

Laravel is an open-source full-stack PHP framework that was released years later after Django. To work with Laravel, you should have good command over PHP, even the basic knowledge will do.

Laravel is loaded with tons of features; hence you can build any kind of web application using this.Whether you are planning to create a small or a big web application, you can always resort to Laravel.

Pros

It has a built-in blade templating engine which enables you to create simple yet effective layouts.

Various small & big companies across the globe choose to develop their project on Laravel because of its dynamic features.

It works as per the latest MVC frameworks rather than the classic architecture, where developers used to write both HTML & PHP in one file.

Cons

Because it’s lightweight, there is very little inherent support. While this issue can be resolved with the help of third-party tools, it is not suitable to carry out for building custom and huge websites.

Laravel community support is not high when compared with other frameworks.

Laravel is still in the development phase and its composer is not good like npm(for Node.js), ruby gems, and pip(python).

Why Do Developers Choose Laravel for Their Project?

Some of the common reasons why developers choose Laravel for their project are as follows:

Open-Source

Bigger Community of Developers

In-depth documentation

Unit Testing

Artisan

Blade Template Engine

Advanced Security, etc.

3. What is Node.js?

Node.js is not only a framework but also a server. In other words, Node.js is an open-source JavaScript runtime environment that plays a vital role in developing cross-platform applications.

Node.js contains event-driven and asynchronous APIs. A wide range of developers consider Node.js for their project at first-place because it operates on a single thread.

Pros

js runs only on one-thread, yet it has the capability to serve the requests of various clients.

It is based on JavaScript and has a low learning curve.

Single code runs correctly on both the client as well as the server-side.

It has an active and massive community of developers on leading platforms like GitHub.

js is a highly-adaptable platform with few guidelines & dependencies.

Cons

In reality, Node.js supports asynchronous programming, which many developers consider hard to grasp and find difficult to operate.

js doesn’t consist of a robust library due to which developers have to rely on third-party libraries for completing different tasks.

It’s tough to work on a relational database.

Why Do Developers Choose Node.js for Their Project?

Several common reasons why developers prefer Node.js for their web development project:

Cross-platform development

NPM

Awesome for command-line utilities

Huge Community of developers

Reusability, etc.

4. Node.js vs Django vs Laravel: Comparing The Features

Framework Base

Laravel: Laravel follows the MVC(Model-view-Controller) pattern and it’s based on the PHP. Briefly, it is an open-source web application framework praised by a lot of web developers.

The main objective of Laravel is to help developers to build web applications real-quick. Moreover, they don’t have to look after basic issues like authentication, routing, etc.

Django: Django works according to the MVT(Model View Template) pattern that is based on the Python Language. The ultimate purpose of this open-source framework is to motivate developers to write code efficiently.

Node.js: NodeJS is an open-source framework that works on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript Engine. It functions according to the event-driven & non-blocking I/O architecture.

The primary aim of NodeJS is to allow developers to build web applications in the most effective manner. It is mainly used for constructing web/app servers and on the Internet of Things.

Popularity

Below image shows the popularity of all the three frameworks worldwide over the last 5 years:

As you can clearly see in the picture that, if you compare Node.js vs Django vs Laravel in terms of popularity, Node.js stands out from the rest.

Learning Curve

Laravel: Laravel has a very high learning curve. However, it comes along with a lot of tools like Laracasts and great documentation. By following them correctly, you will have a good command over the PHP framework.

Django: If you have a strong command over Python’s syntax, then you can get ahead with the Django framework without much trouble. Moreover, it’s referred to as developer-friendly, which means you can learn and start implementing it in your projects right away.

NodeJS: If you are familiar with JavaScript, you will not face any issues in learning NodeJS. However, sometimes it’s hard to code in NodeJS due to its asynchronous programming.

Scalability and Performance

Laravel: On Comparing PHP vs. NodeJS vs. Django, Scalability in Laravel becomes complex as soon as you start rendering and making different versions of the application. Moreover, it’s performance is not as good as the other two frameworks.

Django: Django is useful in cross-platform apps and provides next-level scalability, that ensures that a developer can easily manage workflow.

NodeJS: While comparing the Scalability & performance of Node JS vs. Laravel or Django, NodeJs provides top-notch scalability because of its non-blocking and asynchronous programming features. This helps to handle numerous events at the same time.

Rapid Development

Laravel: It works on PHP and has low development speed when compared with the other two frameworks.

Django: It comprises a wide number of plugins, which helps to speed up the development time of tasks at hand.

NodeJS: Due to its lightweight server, NodeJS functions appropriately on the majority of machines. Moreover, it handles various requests with ease.

Clean Architecture

Laravel: Laravel works as per the MVC pattern and it is the most preferred choice of vast developers due to its realistic and easy-to-understand syntax

Django: Django works as per the Model View Template (MVT) structure, which is almost the same as the model view controller. Here, the model refers to the data and the view is responsible for systematically storing that data. The controller provides various options to the user; however, MVT sets up the data inside the framework properly.

NodeJS: It works according to event-driven programming, where the whole architecture relies on the events or user choices and messages from other programmes.

Security

Laravel: Laravel framework offers better security as compared to other frameworks in the market. It utilises the hashed password method to store all the passwords in the database safely. Moreover, it possesses structured processes to deal with cross-site-scripting, SQL injections, and more.

Django: Due to its effective security practises, the framework handles various scripting attacks, vulnerabilities, etc. with ease. Moreover, Django alerts developers about various errors time-to-time.

NodeJS: It offers better security for a sophisticated code structure; however, you will discover a wide number of loopholes in the journey.

Customizability

Laravel: Customization in Laravel is somewhat tricky because you have to access various external tools to integrate or modify anything on the website.

Django: It doesn’t consist of effective customization practises, therefore you may face a lot of issues.

NodeJS: NodeJS offers you world-class customization choices because it is backed up by JavaScript.

Conclusion

Here we end-up our comparison between Laravel, Django, & NodeJS. Frankly speaking, there is not a specific framework you can use for every web application. All frameworks have their own pros and cons.

The selection of a framework depends upon project requirements and future goals. If you have a unique idea, then you can approach a professional Node.js Development Company. Choose to work with us and we ensure to deliver you the best web application.

FAQ

There can not be a fixed answer to this question. Both Django and Node.js have their pros and cons. Node.js has better performance, while Django has better scalability if you compare them on features.

Django is better when it comes to speed, while Laravel is better when it comes to simplicity. So, according to the situation, one is the winner.

As you know, Django is a web app development framework. Now, for any web app development, you need to know HTML, CSS & JS. Therefore, JavaScript is necessary for the Django framework.

Node.js is a run-time environment for building web applications. So, you can use it for both frontend and backend. It depends on the requirements.

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Enthusiastic for web app development, Chintan Gor has zeal in experimenting with his knowledge of Node.js in various aspects of development. He keeps on updating his technical know-how thus pinning his name among the topmost CTO’s in India. His contribution is penned down by him through various blogs on Node.js. He is associated with eSparkBiz – a Node.js Development Company from the past 7-8 years where one can get premium services.